


Those Nights

by The_Shy_One



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Ableism, Ableist Language, Accidental Child Accquisition, Autism, Autism Spectrum, Autistic Characteristics, Blind Character, Eventual Romance, Human Experimentation, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Meltdown, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Child Abuse, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Stimming, Unethical Experimentation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21982903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Shy_One/pseuds/The_Shy_One
Summary: During a bust for an underground experiment ring, Frank takes home a kid who has more going on with them than any of them could have expected. As a man who had faced worse than a troubled kid, he braves it to take care of them and find more information about the rest of the kid experiments.
Relationships: Amy Bendix & Frank Castle, Frank Castle & Original Character(s), Frank Castle & Original Female Character(s), Frank Castle/Matt Murdock
Comments: 3
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter One

There were nights in the city where it would grow as quiet as it could ever get. As if parts of the city were wrapped in something to keep noise from entering them, to grow as quiet as the grave when something was approaching to cause chaos. The distant sound of the busier part of it may slip through at times - almost to remind other parts of the city that had grown quiet that it was there - but it would slip back out the same way it came in. Darkness shrouded the alleyways and parts of the sidewalks where the street lamps couldn’t reach during those nights, ready to grab whoever wasn’t paying any attention to their surroundings.

It was nights like those that Frank usually found himself out in the city, looking for people who managed to get on his radar. Who found themselves facing the barrel of his gun when he showed up.

The cool air filled his lungs as he walked towards the location that one of the lower members had given up a half-hour before. Before a bullet was put through his head, he’d talked about offering one of the children being held captive as a pet, a  _ slave,  _ for whatever Frank saw fit. As if mentioning it would suddenly get him out of dying, out of all the consequences that the Punisher gives to each of his targets.

Memories of his own two children barreled at him with ferocity, reminding him,  _ taunting _ him that he couldn’t do a damn thing to save them. ( _ Couldn’t  _ save them from the bullets and  _ couldn’t _ save them from a man who they thought loved them like family.) It was with that reminder paired along with the anger and disgust that ran through his body at the  _ mere  _ suggestion of being offered a kid for such things was what caused him to pull the trigger.

A deep breath in and then he went into the building where rumours and whispers spoke of children being experimented on. It was dark, the only light being provided coming from the cheap bulbs that hung from a singular point in the rooms. Frank checked each one he came across, making sure that whatever he found, either kid or scientist was dealt with accordingly. 

Several times he found scientists, working in their labs and without hesitation, shot them. There were screams of pain and guttural moans of being randomly shot, the red colour of their blood as it splattered against their workstations and pristine white coats. But it didn’t bother Frank in the slightest since they dared to touch children and experiment on them like they were lab animals. 

It was their decision to turn a blind eye to the innocence and humanity of the stolen children and it was their decision to say that it was for the greater good of humankind.

As Frank made his way through the last floor, he heard the sound of soft whimpering and something faintly hitting against concrete. He followed the sound, leading him to a room that was wallpapered with drawings done by a kid. It went through various stages of skill and talent as he scanned the room - upping the creep factor that the place already had. Along with the wallpaper of drawings, there was a bed with crumpled white sheets and a nightstand next to it with a glass filled halfway with water. But that soon left his mind when he saw a kid on the floor near one of the far walls. 

They hugged their knees to their chest, rocking back and forth, their eyes staring straight ahead and seeing nothing. After several rocks, the kid slammed their head into the wall behind them, whimpering at the pain of it, but doing nothing to stop it either. 

Frank slowly made his way in, crouching low when getting close enough to them. He took note of the short red hair, shaved close to their head and the golden eyes that still blankly looked ahead. After the same number of rocks as before, they repeated the slam against the concrete wall behind them. It was self-harm, even if they weren’t aware of it. 

Something twisted in Frank’s emotions at seeing this happening at such a young age.

“Hey.” He said, voice low, hoping that would stop them. With the repeated cycle occurring once more, he said more loudly,” Hey, kid, stop that.”

The rocking grew slower and the golden eyes gained some recognition behind them. “You gotta stop it or you’ll hurt yourself. Need a head on your shoulders more than you think.”

The rocking continued, but it was slower than before and they stared up at Frank with curiosity. “Who are you?” Another head slam.

He winced in sympathy but didn’t get any closer. “Frank Castle, The Punisher.” He saw no reason to lie to the kid when they already have been treated like crap and subpar as a person.

“You’ve come to punish me?” Came their voice, small and filled with fear.

_ “No,”  _ Frank said simply. “I’m here to punish the scientists who experimented on you and other kids like you.”

“But I wasn’t being good,” They said, whisper-like. “I misbehaved after they left, so the scientists had to punish me. If you’re the Punisher then you’re here to punish me for misbehaving. That’s what they always do to me when I misbehave.”

A rumble ran through his chest at the mere thought of even hurting one of these kids and that the scientists that he had already shot had instilled such a thought into these kids. “No, I’m not that kind of punisher, kid. I go after those who should be put down because they won’t change, will never change.”

“And you did that to...them?”

“Yes.”

They tilted their head, studying him with this new information. Their golden eyes never quite reached his, but Frank knew that they were looking at his face at least. The rocking stopped and they carefully stood up. The long white gown covered most of their body which was so small and short that Frank nearly wanted to scoop them up to make sure they were alright.

Taking a single step to him, they stopped when hearing the light footsteps from the doorway that was behind Frank. 

“Frank, what’ve we talked about?” Came the ridiculous question from a man who should know better. “You said you would try not killing them when coming onto my turf.”

“Plans changed after hearing they were experimenting on kids, Red.” He said, voice gruff and not pleased in the slightest.

“They could have been tried for their crimes. They could have given more info on where the rest of the kids are since there’s no one else in the building.” Daredevil said, the same tone of voice he used when Frank had chained him to the roof all those months ago. It was enough for Frank to hunch his shoulders as he stood up, desperate to keep calm in front of the kid. (And yet he knew he would yell at the other man if Red didn’t stop needling him.)

“What can I say, Red, I didn’t feel like giving them the chance when they experimented on kids like they were animals.” There was an edge to Frank’s voice that he knew that the other man was picking up on it. He heard light footsteps make their way into the room, finally showing himself from the shadows. “I thought you could agree with that.”

“It’s Hell’s Kitchen, my turf. You can’t decide what you want to do when it suits you.” This earned an eye roll from Frank that he knew the other man could sense. 

He turned himself towards Daredevil, surprised to see a black outfit covering the man rather than the red horned costume he’d come to expect. “New outfit, Red?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“I can when I know the ending to the argument.”

“I said  _ don’t _ change the subject,  _ Frank.”  _

Frank let out a huge huff, beyond annoyed and heading towards anger. If it didn’t stop punches would be thrown and they would end up wrestling each other. “Well, I’m gonna. We have a kid to rescue.”

“What makes you think either of us is qualified to take care of a kid?” Red questioned, moving to Frank’s side. He tilted his head as if he were catching a far off sound - and it was likely if Frank’s theory on who Daredevil actually was, was correct.

“Well if they were experimentin’ on kids then it’s likely they got powers. Nothing that the regular branch of the government would be able to handle. Nor could they handle if we’re being honest here,” Frank laid out. “Can’t even handle vigilantes in a ten-block radius, what’re they gonna do with superpowered kids?” 

Technically there was one government agent who could handle all the vigilantes, but even she floundered slightly in the beginning when Frank had dragged her into it by rescuing her. (Though he would still trust Madani than any other agent he came across as she was the only one who wasn’t so far up their ass about the rules and regulations to do the right thing.) He watched as Red tilted his head in consideration, taking what Frank was saying seriously.

While Red pondered on his words, Frank turned his attention back to the kid. They still stood where they were, but now studied both men as if they never have seen two adults arguing - which he will admit, most adults didn’t argue like him and Red. (And it was sad to him that the kid possibly never had an interaction outside of clipped conversations with the scientists.)

“What’s your name, kid?”

It took a moment, but they replied,” Larisa.”

“A girl?”

“Yes, I’m a girl. They cut my hair when I kept crying; they were too rough when brushing it, never brushed it like Joshua did.”

“I bet it was beautiful,” Frank said, crouching back down. “Red and probably curly, right?”

Her eyes widen as if he were a fortune teller giving away secrets of the future. “Yes, it was pretty. Joshua always said he was jealous of it after brushing it.”

“Joshua was one of the other kids?” Red asked, speaking up.

Her golden eyes turned the other man, studying him as she did to Frank only minutes before. “He was my older brother.” She answered after a minute, still looking unsure of Red.

“Any other kids besides him, Larisa?”

“My older sister and my other older brother.”

Frank muttered a few choice swears, angered once more that it  _ wasn’t _ just a random group of kids, it was a group of  _ siblings.  _

Red for a moment, laid a hand on his shoulder, grounding him enough to remember the little girl in front of them. Using one of the breathing techniques that Curt taught him, Frank stood as Red asked a few more questions of Larisa. At some point, when he felt calm enough, he tuned in to the conversation to notice that Red was frustratingly asking the same question over and over and she wasn’t giving him an answer. (Or at least the answer he wanted.)

In fact, she looked like she was going to blow her lid at him. At her sides was tiny curled fists and a furrowed brow on her face. There was also the fact that her breathing was becoming erratic, a sign of a tantrum shortly on the horizon.

“Red, stop.”

“Don’t butt in, Frank.” Red snapped irritatedly. He turned to face Frank, almost as if he would start a brawl with him for trying to give an adequate warning of a tantrum.

“Either you stop with the questions or deal with a kicking and screaming kid. One of those two things is infinitely easy to deal with.”

Even with the black mask covering his face, Frank still knew that a glare was being sent his way with how the other man quickly turned his head towards him. He didn’t back down, knowing there were bigger things than Red’s need to be in control while on his turf. 

It was during this staredown that he felt small hands tugging on his pants. From the corner of his eye, he saw the top of Larisa’s head, the red fuzz of hair just barely there to cover it. She didn’t say anything, just lightly tugged on his pants in a similar pattern he saw earlier with the rocking.

“Please,” She said, voice small and scared. “Please.”

“You want us to stop?” He asked. Frank knew that the jabs and barbs weren’t seen as friendly by anyone, least of all the two of them. But he should have tried to curb it for the kid since she was likely confused and scared.

A nod while saying,” Yes.”

“Alright.” He replied. He moved his hand to touch the top of her head, feeling the distant familiar feeling of shaved hair making contact with his palm. It prickled his palm, giving way to her past ramblings that they were rough with her and her hair.

As he did this, she melted into it, her body just letting loose the tension it had collected during his raid. Larisa tilted her head up, her golden eyes making brief eye contact with his, showing relief. “Guess you’re comin’ with me.”

“And why should she?” Red said, butting into the conversation once more.

“Because she trusts me, Red,” Frank explained. “Also I do believe I know more about taking care of kids than  _ you.” _

“Truly, the pinnacle of fatherhood, murder, bullets and shootouts. Frank Castle, the man that all should aspire if they want to keep their children.” Red snapped back, agitation dripping from his voice.

A growl tore through his throat, anger pounding through his blood. He nearly lunged for the other man but was stopped by something wrapping around his legs. Looking down, Frank saw a snake drawn as if by a child’s hand wrapping around his legs, giving him the stink eye. It hissed at him before settling down.

“Stop, please.” Came Larisa’s voice, tired, too tired for a kid her age to sound. 

“I’m sorry,” Frank apologized.

“Just get me out of here.” Was her reply.

“I will just gotta make sure Red knows that.”

“I still object to it.”

“And I don’t care what you think, she’s coming with me. It’s clear she don’t like you much, not yet and she’s likely to tie you up with one of her drawings if you so much look at her wrong.”

“And she likes you?”

“Yes,” Larisa said. “He tells the truth.”

“Fine,” Red said, giving in after hearing that from her mouth. It was enough for Frank to smirk, knowing he won this round. “But I’m checking it tomorrow since it’ll be a while to track down any information for the underground experimentation.”

_ ‘Since you killed everyone who could have given more info,’ _ was left unsaid, but Frank could read between the lines.

Red disappeared after that, pulling the ninja shit he liked to do, especially to Frank. Whether it was freak out people or show off, Frank didn’t quite know. But what he did know is that it was annoying as all hell.

He looked down at Larisa, her body still leaning against his legs despite being trapped under one of her drawings. “Could ya get me out?”

“Sure.”

_____________________

He dropped her into his bed when arriving at one of his safehouses. Her eyes were barely open, desperate to be open despite being so tired. As he tucked her in, an action that felt so unfamiliar and alien to him, Frank could feel his mind trying to reject it, she smiled at him. “Thanks.” Was all she said before snuggling into the pillow to sleep.

Frank spent a minute trying to understand what feelings were taken ahold of his heart. He had felt it so long ago for Lisa and Frank Jr. when he had done the same for them, but it still felt strange all the same. (He was desperate to not think about why it felt nice, why he wanted to experience that  _ again.) _

Finally, he quietly sighed and left the room. As he closed the door, he heard the familiar footsteps of another person who continued to stick with him even after everything that occurred since that night at the bar.

“I guess I have to compete for your attention now,” Amy said, standing in the hallway. Despite looking as if she’d woken up, her voice made her sound as if she were awake for hours. “Since you seem to have this need to collect kids. What’re you, Batman?”

“I’m not Batman,” Frank mumbled. “Just had to get her away from them.”

“Was this the underground experiment thing?”

“Yeah. She was the only kid there and she said she has siblings that were whisked off to a different location, so I couldn’t leave her there.”

“So she’s just here temporarily until you can find her siblings?”

“That’s the plan. Don’t get attached.” Frank said, moving towards the couch. There were guns to check and clean after tonight’s mission and no way he was getting sleep.

Amy followed after him, standing by the coffee table to watch him take apart the first gun. She spoke up after he started to clean it. “Better tell Madani you found a superpowered kid or she’ll be angry you kept this from her.”

“When is she never angry?”

“When you keep off the streets of New York for more than a month at a time. Bet Daredevil’s the same.”

“Well they’re gonna be seeing my ugly mug for a while, so they better get used to it.”

————————-

The sounds of the tree heartbeats in Frank’s safehouse calmed Matt somewhat, hearing that they were all steady instead of panicky shudders he heard when people were face to face with the Punisher. He heard the child’s heart beating slowly, sleeping after being rescued. The name she had spoken for the one older brother she had was of note, familiar and something to work off of when he went to see Jessica.

With nothing more to keep him from hanging out at the safe house, he moved towards Jessica’s apartment. He would need her skills for this, more likely to find something out about the kids than either he or Frank alone. 

The city was more quiet than usual, almost as if anticipating a showdown to go down somewhere. It messed with Matt a bit, even if he could feel his way around with the vibrations of the subways underneath the streets. The picture he had in his mind - red and vibrant - was a bit fuzzy, close to how he would imagine a person without their glasses would see the world.

It was  _ annoying _ in its own way and a sound close to a growl tore out of his through as he landed on top of Jessica’s building. The fire-escape wasn’t hard to find, the vibrations making the metal clear to see in his mind. He climbed down and reached her window, tapping on it loudly. He heard the swears, slurred and smelling whatever drink suited Jessica’s fancy for this night.

She soon reached the window, pulling it open. “ Get  _ in _ now, Murdock. Don’t need the press saying I’m your girlfriend on top of everything else.” She hissed at him.

He did was as she said, slipping in without issue.

“What do you want, Murdock?” She asked after a moment.

“I need you to investigate a name for me. Found one of the kids that was being experimented on and said her older brother’s name was Joshua. It rings a bell, but you’re the one who can find out why.” He said. He listened to her reactions, noting that her interest picked up when he mentions Larisa.

“You finally got a lead on that?”

“Frank did,” He mumbled, reminded of their confrontation earlier tonight. As usual, it was vaguely unpleasant and made Matt’s blood simmer close enough to boiling.

Jessica snorted, amusement carrying on her tone. “He has the kid, doesn’t he?”

“Yes.” Was all Matt said.

“I’ll look into it, bring her around when you can. She can give me more to work with to find the other kids. Now get out of my apartment.”

Matt did as he was told, mind tired enough to want sleep. Slipping out, he used a fancy acrobat trick, hearing Jessica sigh as she said,” Pretty boy ninja.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I'm posting this up to see how people will take to it so I can decide whether it's worth continuing or not with the fic. I'm hoping so because I've spent some time on this and have a few ideas for what future chapters will contain.
> 
> Anyway, hopefully, it was a good chapter to read! :D
> 
> Edited 4/24/20


	2. Chapter Two

The first rays of sunlight sneaked their way into the safehouse, waking Frank from the short nap he had decided to take on the couch after he finished cleaning and checking his guns. He turned over to his side and was greeted with the sight of Larisa quietly eating out of the tub of ice cream in front of the couch. There was a mess of chocolate and vanilla surrounding her mouth and some of it had dripped onto the collar of her white gown. Her golden eyes didn’t meet his, but it definitely wasn’t out of guilt as she continued to eat it.

He groans as he moves into a sitting position, swinging his legs over the edge of the couch and planting them on the floor. He continued to take in the sight of the kid being unafraid of Frank or what he could do to her for eating ice cream first thing in the morning. (He was many things, but not being physically intimidating was one of them.) Briefly, they make eye contact as she takes another spoonful. She quickly moved her gaze to the side of his face, almost as if it hurt her to stare directly at him for more than a second.

A sigh and then he stood up. “C’mon kid, we got better things than ice cream to feed you.”

“Not as sweet,” Larisa mumbled but relented her control of the container when Frank crouched to pick it up. For a quick moment, he couldn’t resist the smile that forcibly came over his face at the decidedly bratty behaviour. (That was at the moment secretly endearing.) 

He hadn’t had an endearing bratty moment with a kid her age since Frank Jr. The kid decided to take both qualities of him and Maria and combine them in a way that caused them both grief. And immediately with that thought, the smile turned into a frown as he stood back up. Larisa followed his lead, standing up and walking behind him to the kitchen. Though quieter than any kid had any right to be, there was enough sound to her steps that Frank could use to identify if needed during her temporary stay.

She took a seat at the kitchen table, watching him as he put away the ice cream. She cleaned her face when he put a paper towel in front of her. Then he decided on cooking something. She continued to watch in silence, almost the complete opposite to most kids he’s come into contact with. Honestly, it was unnerving even with the knowledge that she had been kidnapped young by the underground group for experimentation.

When serving a plate of scrambled eggs, she stared at it as if they were an alien entity. “What is it?” She asked, poking it with her fork.

“Scrambled eggs. Ain’t gonna hurt you to try it.”

“You got ketchup?”

Shoulda figured, kids were nuts for ketchup. It was like the secret ingredient to making the most unappealing or flavourless food the best thing on Earth to eat them. “Sure.”

Frank gave her the bottle, turning his back to make coffee. When turning back, he saw that the eggs had been drenched in ketchup and that Larisa was eating them with more vigour than he had expected from her questioning. She continued to eat that way, her sole focus on finishing her meal more than checking on what Frank was doing.

She was close to finishing eating the eggs when he sat down at the table to enjoy his coffee. A quick glance as he did that and she was back to eating without fuss. Frank resisted the urge to chuckle, focusing more on making sure coffee made its way to his stomach.

Not much later, Amy showed up, still looking the same as when Frank last saw her early this morning. She took one look at him and the kid and decided that getting coffee was more important than asking what was going on.

“Who’s she?” Larisa asked bluntly, after taking a lick of the ketchup off her plate. (And yes, Frank had to resist the urge to grimace at that. Kids were weird and people always seemed to forget this fact when they were away from them for so long.)

“I’m Amy,” Amy says, still staring at the coffee machine. “Who’re you, kid?”

“I’m Larisa. You live with Frank or are you like Red?”

Amy snorted at this as she poured coffee for herself. “I think I should be insulted that you think I’m on the same level as Daredevil in how he and I treat each other.”

“Nah, I think Red will be more insulted if he knew he was compared to a teenage girl by her. He already started a vendetta with her by being his usual prickly self.” Frank said, butting in. This caused Amy to smile into her cup and for a burst of giggles to come out of Larisa. The sound was light, happier than how she had sounded last night.

“I’m sure we can keep that a secret from him if you’re willing to keep quiet about it,” Amy said, sitting on the counter. Despite being told many times that she should keep off it, she still went against it in favour of her own comfort.  _ Teenagers. _

“Can’t limit me like that when it comes to trading jabs or else he would win.”

“Doesn’t nobody win when you two do that? Least of all you two?”

“Hurts to know where we stand, Amy,” Frank said, faking a pout.

“Doesn’t hurt me to tell you it.” With that, she drained the rest of her coffee and left the kitchen. He heard the door to her room closed and the sound of music pouring out of the speakers she had bought a few months ago.

Frank turned his gaze towards Larisa who stared back at him. Though it was slightly to the left of where his eyes were. “Want to learn how to take down a man several times your size?”

The bright grin on her face was answer enough for him.

____________________

Going back to the one safehouse Frank the day after was easier than one would expect of Matt. Even with the moral disagreement between them and Frank screwing himself out of the best plea deal he was ever gonna get, Matt had more than that to worry about. Namely the kid and her siblings. 

As he entered the floor where Frank resided in, he could smell the leather and gunpowder that filtered in along with the man’s natural scent. But there were several scents along with Frank that was unfamiliar. One was of expensive perfume and processed smells that came with makeup and hair care products. The other was of chemicals that made the nerves in his shoulders stand on end - it reminded him of the chemical spill and the never-ending scent of bleach, sickness and death of hospitals that never provided Matt with any comfort.

Along with the smell, he could hear the sound of several beating hearts and two bodies practicing takedown moves from behind the door. With a knock on the door, he waited for the door to open. And during that time between the knock and the opening of a door, Matt realized that he came as Matt Murdock and not as Daredevil.

Just before he could turn and run from his oblivious mistake, the door opened. There was the snap of bubblegum before the person went,” Frank wasn’t lying when you said you would show up. Matt Murdock, right?”

“Yes,” Matt said reluctantly. “Who are you?”

“I’m Amy Bendix, he took me in after he left New York after the whole thing with Micro. At least that’s what he told me,” She said, moving out of the way for him to enter. As he shuffled in, he could hear the sound of takedown maneuvers being practiced. ”Frank! He’s here.” 

There was a grunt of acknowledgement from the older man, clearly focusing more on taking down whoever he was practicing with. When catching the sound of a light heartbeat he had heard last night trying to take down Frank by kicking at his knees, Matt had to stop. Amy moved past him, unfazed of what was happening in front of them.

With the combination of hearing, smell and vibrations, Matt got the picture of Larisa and Frank practicing a move with the seriousness that he hadn’t seen outside of his own training with Stick. Though not a hardass like Stick, Frank still taught the move to the little girl with the thought in mind that she would be practicing and using it daily. It was a side to the man that Karen had only glimpsed at two years back during the trial. That she had tried to convince the rest of the world that Frank had that side to him even after killing members of various gangs.

And now, he was witnessing it for himself. 

“Gonna stand there all day, Red?” Frank asked as he’s being taken down by Larisa. She laughed brightly, happy as a clam as she sat on top of his back to keep him down. 

And Frank, he stayed down on the floor, keeping the illusion that she was capable of doing such a thing even with how small and light she was. Stick would have thrown him off and ordered him to continue to do it until he could keep the man down.

“No,” Matt answered. He took a step forward, assessing where obstacles could be to avoid them. “She has anything she could wear in public?”

“Why you askin’?”

“Got a friend who can help us track down her identity and I need to take her to meet them.”

“You need to take her outside to do that?” There was an unusual hesitancy coming from the other man as he said that. He sat up, moving Larisa so that she was on the floor next to him. She looked away from the two of them, looking at something that was on the far wall of the room. “Thought we agreed that you weren’t taken care of her.”

Matt sighed, feeling as if he were trudging into a body of water filled with mines set to explode if he so much as touched them. “I’m not taking her away, Frank, just need my friend to see her so they can start investigating. They’re the best for these kinds of cases.”

“You have vigilante friends, Red? I’m shocked.”

“They don’t tread into Hell’s Kitchen and kill people,  _ Frank.”  _

A huff of annoyance. Then,” Amy probably has some things besides the nightgown that she could wear. But you ask her if she wants to go, I’m not making her do this.”

“That’s fine.” He turned his attention away from Frank and towards Larisa. 

Taking a few steps closer, he crouched down to her level and asked her to look at him. He heard her heart start to beat faster at that as if she were nervous to do so - the complete opposite of last night where she had talked back to him, close to as fearless as Frank could be at the worst of times. But she did as he asked of her, looking towards his face.

“Do you want to come with me to visit someone? They’re willing to help me find your siblings.”

She tilted her head as she thought over her decision. Matt waited, knowing that Frank would start to hackle his shoulders and growl like a dog if he tried to rush the little girl. There was a moment where her lips moved as if she were trying to get an answer out, but couldn’t. 

Then with force, she said,” Yes, I’ll go.”

“Go tell Amy you need clothes and she’ll set you up to go outside,” Frank said. Matt heard the soft patter of Larisa’s feet go down the hall and into what he presumed was Amy's room. 

This left the two men alone. With no buffer to keep them from a brawl if they poked at each other long enough. Matt heard Frank sigh and that he moved towards the couch to sit on. “Guess that solves who you are underneath the mask.”

“Didn’t know before?” Matt questioned, surprised. He had thought that after Frank shot a few of those ninjas when they had surrounded him and Elektra that the man knew who he was. (Thinking back at his interactions before and during the trial with the older man, Matt thought he had mistakenly given away his identity to Frank after everything.)

“Nah, I had my suspicions. Just didn’t know for sure until you walked through that door.” Frank answered, sounding more amused than Matt thought he had any right to be. They didn’t say anything else after that.

It didn’t take long for Larisa to come back out, her light footsteps now muffled by socks. Amy followed after her, talking about keeping a hat on her head if she wanted to avoid a sunburn. “Trust me, a sunburn is worse than wearing a hat to cover your head.”

“But it doesn’t feel right.” Came the whining tone of the little girl. “It’s itchy.”

Matt mentally started to prepare himself for either taking a kid who was gonna be acting like that for most of their trip or having Frank volunteer himself to keep her calm. 

“You can take it off when you’re inside,” Frank spoke up, acting more like a parent than Matt had expected - and yet he should have known since the man did have two kids before becoming the Punisher.  _ (‘In fact, they were probably the biggest reason besides his wife that he went down that path,’ _ Matt had mused more than once when his thoughts strayed that way.) “Otherwise you’ll burn your head when walking outside. Look even more like a tomato than you already do.”

“Don’t want to be a tomato,” Larisa said petulantly.

“Then wear a hat when you’re outside or it’ll happen,” Frank said, his tone being final. There was a huff of annoyance from her, but Matt could sense from the way her muscles pulled at her lips, she was being playful in her own way.

Before he could call her over, Larisa moved closer to Frank. There was a moment of hesitancy from her and then she leaned forward to give a hug. She didn’t give enough time for the older man to react as she pulled back and walked towards Matt - but all the same, he knew that it meant something to Frank. 

He had heard the man’s heart stop when she gave him the brief hug, shocked and unsure of how to handle the action. 

Somehow he thinks that Frank might adopt her, might be willing enough to become a parent again if they continue to be close to each other. Even with their relationship as vigilantes and their opposing moral philosophies on how to handle criminals, Matt knew it wouldn’t be so bad for Frank to have someone to care about. 

To protect them from the more dangerous parts of the world.

________________________

“You’re blind right?” Larisa asked bluntly as they walked out the door of the building. “Because you didn’t look me in the eye through your glasses when you asked me to look at you in the face and I wasn’t sure since none of the scientists were blind.”

“Yeah, I’m blind,” Matt started, a bit awkward at how he should answer the kid since she was talking so bluntly. 

“Does that mean you want to hold my hand so I don’t wander off? Joshua always said I was the worst at staying close to him when he watched over me.”

“It would make it easier.” He answered.

“Alright,” She said, moving to hold his hand that didn’t occupy the cane. Smart kid.

He leads her through the streets, making sure he still had her small hand in his as they headed towards Jessica’s. It was so small in his hand and it made him realize how small and light she truly was. What had they done to make a child feel as if she were a tiny bird in his own hand? Resting in the palm of his hand and trusting him not to squash her with his strength

Larisa stayed quiet, seemingly taking in her surroundings of the city as she let Matt take the lead. There were a few moments when they paused to wait for cars to pass by that she would let go of his hand to cover her ears.

But as soon as the last would pass by or pause to let them cross, she would take his hand again even when it bothered her to do so. Whether it came from her supposed powers - he wasn’t quite sure what they were yet other than they had to do with her drawings - or just from something else, Matt wasn’t sure. But he could sympathize, knowing that the combined noise of the city was hell on the hearing if it were accelerated (in his case) or just sensitive in general.

Soon they reached the building where Jessica’s apartment was and he let go of her hand. He heard her taking off her hat and the sound of relief she let out. He led the way, making sure that Larisa’s footsteps remained behind him as they went up the stairs.

A knock on the door and shortly after, Jessica answered. There was the usual smell of whatever alcohol she had drunk on her breath along with a combination of other things mixed in with her natural scent. “You got the Punisher to give over the kid this soon?” She asked, not even ushering them into her apartment

“Just for this visit. Don’t think she would allow being away from him for longer than that.” Matt said, going in. Behind him, Larisa shyly followed. Her heart sped up as she looked towards Jessica, fear tinging her scent. 

What surprised him the most was that when she got close enough to him, she clung onto his arm that didn’t hold the cane.

“I think he might got some competition,” Jessica said, teasing. “She seems to like you well enough.”

“Familiar,” Larisa whispered. “Only familiar person.” 

Matt was the only one to hear it, causing some part of him to feel sorry for her.

“Don’t bet on it,” Matt said. He walked towards Jessica’s couch, knowing that it would be more comfortable for the two of them. “You going to ask her your questions?”

“I wouldn’t drag a traumatized child out into the streets for nothing, Matt,” She said, taking a drink from the bottle of alcohol (that he hadn’t yet identified.) “Besides, I might have a lead or two for her other siblings, just need to make sure.”

“Alright,” He answered, hearing the woman’s footsteps come over to the couch, She sat in an armchair, the bottle still in her hand. Her attention was now on Larisa, not Matt.

“I’m Jessica, Matt’s friend. What’s your name, kid?”

There was a moment of hesitation from Larisa, who still clung to Matt as if her life depended on it. Then,” Larisa. Larisa May.”

Matt knew this surprised Jessia with the way her body shifted ever so slightly in her chair. “Your father, is he Lukas May?”

“That’s what Joshua always told me, but I wouldn’t know since I never met him,” Larisa said truthfully. Matt noted the slight bit of sadness in her voice, at the fact she had never met the man. “Joshua always said I should be glad I never did.”

“Is Joshua your older brother?” Jessica asked, still ever the private investigator.

“Yes. Judah was too.”

“What did they look like, Larisa?”

“Joshua had short blond, curly hair and was tall. He always told me we had the same colour of eyes due to our father.”

“And Judah?”

“Black curly hair that was long and he was also tall like Joshua. He also has darker skin than me or Joshua. They haven’t explained to me why yet, but I know he’s my brother because he loves me and because we have the same colour eyes. He always got me paper to draw on and taught me how to speak Arabic.” Larisa said, giving Jessica information that caused the woman to nod in agreement.

“And your older sister?” Jessica asked. Matt knew that Larisa had confirmed one of her leads since she had abandoned the bottle and was leaning forward.

“Same as Joshua, but she keeps her hair in braids since it was long.”

“Alright, that’s all I had to ask, Larisa. Can you give me and Matt a moment to speak?” Jessica asked politely. Larisa gave a hum of an answer and reluctantly left Matt’s side.

“What’s your lead?” He asked quietly once Larisa took to sitting near the front door.

“With the added fact of her father being Lukas May, I say I got a pretty good lead to go after. Lukas May, a man who comes from old money and likes to keep in touch within his circle of rich friends.” Jessica said to Matt, laying down what she had gathered so far. “However, his children have been missing for years, including one that was illegitimate. From her answers, it’s possible he either sold or gave his children to that group to experiment on.”

“How many known children does the public know?” He asked, feeling a familiar form of anger rushing through his body. It looked that tonight would also be another night for Daredevil to look around for more answers about the underground group.

“Only three. Mollie, Joshua and Judah were all his children that were known to the public, especially Judah since he was forced to take in the kid due to a court ruling. Larisa isn’t known anywhere in the system that I can find and I’m scared to know what that means for any of us.” There was the sound of the bottle cracking as Jessica continued to squeeze it.

“That means we have to look deeper.” He said.

“And that means including the Punisher as well, Matt. Luke heard that Frank got himself an in with an agent in Homeland Security. That would be a big help.”

“Do we really need to drag him into this?”

“Matt, he was dragged into this the moment he went after the same rumours as you. And I doubt he’s going to stay out now that he knows kids are on the line.” Jessica said, blunt and bold in the only that she could be. She took another drink out of the bottle, anger still radiating from her body.

Matt sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You’re right.”

“I’ll help you keep him in line when it comes time. I want to see the group and Lukas face the consequences for the shit they’re pulling.” Jessica said. “Just get her home so you can tell him the news.”

He didn’t answer her, only stood up and walked towards where Larisa sat. She didn’t even wait for him to tell her that they were going, she quickly got up as soon as she saw him. As they entered the hall, she reached with one arm and clung to the same arm as before. He didn’t say anything about it, he let it continue until they arrived back at Frank’s.

She quickly let go of him to fling herself at Frank, clutching at his torso as if she couldn’t survive without hugging the man close to her. Matt could sense a series of emotions fluctuating in Frank, his scent tinged with each that flooded his body. But even with that going on, he hugged Larisa back, holding her just as close as she did. 

“Wasn’t that bad, was it?”

“Loud noises and unfamiliar,” She said, the only explanation she was offering to any of them.

“Yeah, that sucks,” Frank commented awkwardly, but continued to hug her.

Matt waited until they let go of each other to speak up. “I have to talk to you, Frank.”

“Does it have to do with her?” Frank asked.

“Yes.”

Frank sighed but told Larisa she should go join Amy in her. There was some reluctance from the girl, but she slowly padded her way out of the living room. Frank sank into the couch and patted at a cushion for Matt to sit. Matt took the offer and sat down.

“What did your friend find out?”

“Larisa’s father is Lukas May.”

“The rich guy who lost his children ten years ago?”

“Yeah, that’s him. Jessica theorized that his children were either sold or given to this group. She leans more towards the second option with what she dug up.” Matt noticed that anger slowly simmered through Frank’s body, his scent being embodied by the emotion. It was sweltering and all-encompassing, almost covering up the leather and gunpowder completely.

“She also said that Larisa doesn’t exist in any of the records she could find about that family.”

“And you want me to contact other people to make sure?”

“It would be helpful. I would hate to think she was created specifically to have been experimented on.”

Frank’s anger flared up once more, showing physical signs now. Matt reached over to grab at his wrist, trying to ground the man in some way. “Do not go out to kill Frank.”

“You’re willing to let any of them live after having confirmed that they hurt kids - creating  _ one _ to experiment on!” Frank said roughly, his voice rising. “You’re willing to let them go even after knowing all that!”

Before Matt could answer, Frank used the hold he had on his wrist to shove him away. Matt fell off the couch, his body landing on the floor. He checked where Frank was going, trying to figure out what he should do. Suddenly he felt Frank’s hand curl around his shirt and jerked upwards from Frank pulling him up. 

_ “What’s your deal, Red?!?” _ Frank yelled. Anger was the only thing that he could get from the man and almost made him kick the man in the stomach to get away from it.

“My  _ deal?” _ Matt questioned, raising his voice as well. “I’m trying to get them so they don’t harm the kids further. The more of them  _ you _ kill, the more of them they’ll replace them with.”

“At least they’ll be dead.”

“Aren’t you listening to me? That’s not how this will work  _ Frank!” _

“I agree!” Amy said, sneaking up on both of them. Frank dropped Matt, looking over at the teen with surprise. Matt rubbed at the back of his head as Amy continued to talk. “The two of you, go argue or brawl or whatever it is you do somewhere else.” Her voice left no room to argue with her despite saying it to two men who could take her down. 

What stopped both of them was noticing behind her was Larisa, her heart beating hard and scent filled with only fear and anxiety.

“Fine,” Frank said, his voice cracking slightly. He scooped Matt up, throwing him over his shoulder. Matt protested against this, squirming and trying to grab at something to get Frank to put him down.

Frank continued, not giving any sign he noticed what Matt was trying to do. He took Matt to the roof of the building, tossing him to the ground. The air was cool, being close to the late afternoon and filled with the sounds of the city as he pushed himself up from the ground. “We’re gonna fight this out until needed.” Frank declared.

“That the only condition?”

“God, I hate lawyers.”

Matt took that for a yes and made the first move. It was close to two hours later that they stopped, out of breath and out of biting barbs to throw at each other. Despite the situation of it all, Matt felt lighter than he had for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright here's the second chapter! I really like where this is going and I'm hoping I can keep that up with the other stuff I'm working on as well. 
> 
> But regardless of worries, I love writing the interactions between Matt and Frank along with their interactions with Larisa. Just a fun dynamic between the three of them and it's about to get more interesting when Larisa starts to experience more her autistic characteristics with these two. While I'm only going off my experiences from when I was young about autism along with other's stories I've heard, please correct me on anything since I'm still learning about a lot about it despite having it myself. (I wasn't diagnosed as a kid due to doing well in school, so I was left blind about a lot of stuff, even if it was obvious that what I was doing aligned up with it.)
> 
> Also, I haven't seen Jessica Jones due to lack of time, so I'm currently winging it right now with her characterization. (This is probably the push to get me to watch the show probably lol.)
> 
> Hopefully, it was a fun chapter to read! :D
> 
> Edited on 4/24/20


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning - Use of ableist language and thought process towards the end of the chapter.

Over the next few days, after Red revealed what his vigilante friend found out, there was a pattern set for Frank. Wake up on the couch to find Larisa already awake, making her breakfast, continue her training for an hour or so and then let her spend the rest of the day letting her wander between Amy, drawing and spending time with him. It was domestic in how calm it was and how quickly he was to fall into it despite feeling the itch to go out to gather more information.

And yet it became evident after a few days that this new routine wasn’t going to cut out when he woke up to Amy standing over him. There was a determined look in her eyes as she said,” You are taking Larisa clothing shopping. Doesn’t matter if it’s the thrift store or what, just get her some clothes she can wear.”

“You can’t order any of that online?” He questioned, moving to sit up.

Amy rolled her eyes. “No. I don’t know her size and I’m not going to spend hours with a kid on deciding what she wants to wear. You’ve taken her in, so your responsibility, Batman.”

“I’m not Batman,” Frank mumbles, finally standing. He heard Amy scoff as he went into the kitchen to fix himself a cup of coffee. Larisa was nowhere to be seen. Probably in Amy’s room, drawing.

“No, Batman at least got Robin clothing when adopting the kid.” She shouted at him as he turned around with a coffee in his hand.

“Forgot the kid’s pants.” He said. He could feel Amy rolling her eyes, all sass and exasperation that he’s come to know of the teen.

“Just take her clothes shopping!”

And Frank couldn’t argue any further when he heard the teenage girl stomping off to her room.

_________________

Frank stood in front of a thrift store, with a hood up while holding Larisa’s hand. Thrift stores weren’t likely to ask after him or Larisa, seeing more worn-out people than the other places daily. He squeezed her hand, feeling how small it was in his palm. How was she even a person with how small and light she was? 

She had weight to her with her personality and odd quirks, of course. But being reminded how small she truly was every time he trained with her or held her hand like this - Frank had to wonder how she could exist as she currently was.

She looked at the door with distrust but didn’t make much of a fuss when going in. She immediately took off the straw hat once the door closed, annoyance the only emotion he could see in her golden eyes. It made Frank smile momentarily, amused by the sight as she handed him to the hat to hold.

“This won’t take long?” She asked. “I wanna go back.”

“Just pick out a few things you’re gonna wear.” He says, moving a hand over her head. The sharp prickliness of her shaved head had softened, growing faster than he had expected. 

She batted his hand away and moved to look for clothing that was meant for children. He watched her from the men’s section of shirts, making sure she didn’t wander off and that none of the employees at the store became suspicious of him.

He ended up with a few shirts and was looking at the selection of books when Larisa decided to tug on his shirt. In her arms was a few shirts, pants and even a skirt. All of it was soft pastel colours and looked to be of a material that was soft to the touch. The only surprise was a stuffed animal, a large lion that looked like it needed to be stitched up in a few areas.

“Done?” He asked. She nodded yes quietly, looking slightly tired. He took the clothing and stuffed animal from her, noting that everything would last as long she needed before Amy could get her more things online.

Everything was paid for and they exited the thrift store. Her straw hat was back on and suddenly Frank saw the way her whole body looked tensed up as she rushed to cover her ears as a few cars went by them. A whine escaped her mouth, a high and piercing sound.

He shifted the bag from one hand to the other and leaned down, reaching to touch her shoulder. The second his palm touched her shoulder, a different sound came out of her and suddenly he felt a sharp pain on the top side of his hand. A shout and pulling away, he saw a small bite mark on his hand. None of the skin was broken, thankfully, but he knew that whatever was going on with Larisa caused her to bite him.

“Hey,” Frank started, coming out rougher than he intended to sound,” You can’t go around biting people.”

She didn’t reply as she would have before. Instead, the same whining sound escaped her mouth, pained and filled with confusion. Frank knelt beside her and saw that her eyes were wide and flickering every which way. He watched a few moments, hearing her give that pitched whine and noticed that her golden eyes flickered to follow the cars that passed them by.

Suddenly it dawned on him why she might be acting like this. “Do the cars hurt your ears?” He asked, hoping she would reply in some way. 

A pitched whine was the only thing he got.

He signed, knowing what he would have to do. And knowing that it would look bad to people around him. But it needed to be done.

“I’m gonna pick you up, Larisa.”He said slowly, hoping she was picking up a few words. Or at least his tone. “If you need to bite something, go for my arm.” 

Then he reached for her and picked her up. A noise similar to when he touched her shoulder escaped her - and seemed to draw itself out as well - but Frank focused on getting her into the van. That was more important than her immediate comfort. A few people looked his way, concerned and confused at what was going on when Larisa started to flail around with her legs.

As he walked into the street, ignoring the cars honking as he headed towards the van. Then he felt the same sharp pain as before in his left arm a few feet from the van. He didn’t react, only focused on getting her in the van and back to the safehouse. When putting her in the front seat, buckling her in, she continuously made the same whining sound from before, her eyes flickering so much that Frank was worried she would pass out.

A few people walked up to him as he walked around the back of the van to put the bags in the back part - questioning what was going on and giving him suggestions as to what to do. A snarl erupted from his throat when a woman suggested that he slap some sense in Larisa. _“Not your kid ma’am,”_ He said, his tone ensnared by his snarling voice,” and I better hope you don’t have a kid if that’s what you suggest to a perfect stranger.”

He didn’t stick around to hear what she had to say, angry and focused on getting to the safe house. He continued to drive, only checking in on the kid when he stopped at a red light. She started to rock back and forth, smashing the back of her head into the seat behind her. While a much softer surface than the concrete wall, Frank knew it had to hurt all the same.

He started to say stuff to her, reminded of when Lisa and Frank had their tantrums when he was on leave all those years ago. That they calmed down when spoken to calmly and softly. But something about this seemed a step removed from those tantrums. It was the way Larisa’s eyes looked ahead unseeing, the way her body threw everything into rocking herself back and forth. The whine, pained and high pitched that continued as long as she could hold her breath.

The combination of all these things made something in Frank suggests that it wasn’t anything close to a tantrum he’d seen from his own kids. Or other kids for that matter.

Soon he arrived at the safehouse. He continued to talk to her, nonsense phrases spilling from his mouth as he handled her. She didn’t flail nor try to bite him. But she still let out a pained sound, increasing in volume as if she were harmed even more by him touching her. When reaching the apartment, he moved her to his bedroom, placing her on the bed. She restarted her rocking movement, smashing her head back into the pillow. 

Frank moved to close the curtains, sunlight muted for now. He could still see her in the darkened room, making the same motions over and over. He sat at the edge of the bed, keeping an eye on her. The whining sound stopped at least. That was the one thing he was taking for now.

It was a few hours later that Larisa stopped the repeated moving due to falling asleep. He watched the rise and fall of her chest, wondering if she would be fine when she woke up. How could she when it seemed she became a wounded animal in such a small amount of time.

Tucking the blankets closer to her body, he left the room. In the living room, Amy sat, tense as he had seen her only a few short months ago. When she saw that he entered, she stood up. 

“What happened to her?” She asked worried lacing into her voice.

“‘Donno,” Frank answered truthfully. “She was fine right up until we left the store and then wasn’t fine. I don’t know what set her off.”

“Is it her powers?”

“No. I think this is something else. Something I hadn’t seen before.”

Amy looked thoughtful for a moment. Then,” Maybe it has to do with her what’s going on in her mind. Before I quit high school, some of the special kids were on the spectrum and would sometimes get meltdowns when stuff was too much for them.”

“Spectrum?” Frank questioned, never hearing that phrase before. “What’s that?”

“Autistic spectrum?” Amy replied in a questioning tone. She looked at him as if she were confused about why he was confused. “It’s a spectrum for how autistic traits express itself in people?”

“You think that’s what she got?” Frank heard of autism before, knew what people thought about people who had that. The word retard used most often to describe them either to their face or behind their backs in whispers, but he knew there were other words, _worse_ words than that one. “Why?”

“I’m not a professional, Frank,” Amy says, full of sass once more. “Just a thought to consider.”

“But she can talk.” He insists. Like if he gives the many reasons why she couldn't be _that,_ then Amy would take back her words. “She can do stuff herself. She can’t be autistic.”

She just shakes her head as if she expected better of him. “It’s why it’s called a spectrum, Frank. Larisa clearly can lead a life without much aid, but it doesn’t mean she won’t struggle if she has it.”

Frank - tired of the conversation and Amy not repenting her point - stood up and went to walk out the door. He needed to go clear his head for a few hours.

_____________________

Matt went to visit Frank. It had been a few days and figured if they were going to search for the group, they might as well do it together. He noticed that he couldn’t hear Frank’s heartbeat, the steady sound usually jumping out at him when the man was in range. Knocking on the door, he heard Amy’s heartbeat pick up for a moment, her footsteps loud and hurried as she came to the door.

Opening it, her heart fluttered a bit, clearly disappointed to see him. “He’s not here,” She said, disappointment clear in her voice.

“Where did he go?” He asked, stepping into the apartment. He heard the light sound of Larisa’s heart, slow due to sleeping.

“He left in a rush. Something happened and he wasn’t happy about it.”

“What happened?”

“Larisa had a meltdown from what I saw when he carried her in when they went shopping for clothes. When I suggested that she might be on the spectrum after getting her to sleep, he rejected the idea that she could be autistic and stormed off.” Amy explained. She moved towards the couch, sitting down in it.

Well, Amy’s idea had some weight to it when considering it. He remembered a few kids from the orphanage and classes in his youth. While on the more severe side of the spectrum, they were kids like anyone else. Just a different set of issues that someone had to take care of as they grew into adults.

But he could understand why Frank rejected the idea. People during Frank’s youth and even Matt’s youth were unkind to those individuals. (He would bet his money it was still true now.) The words were even hurled at him when people got frustrated at him for not being as fast as his peers who weren’t blind. That’s It was unsurprising that Frank tried to reject that a girl who suffered as much as she did would be even more disadvantaged in his eyes.

“Make sure to tell him that I came by.” He says, moving towards where he heard Larisa sleeping. She was coming out of R.E.M sleep and would need to be up if she were to get to sleep tonight. “And that we need to have a discussion.”

“Sure, sure,” Amy replies. “You checking in on her?”

“She’s waking up. She’ll probably need someone familiar to tide her until bed.”

Amy nodded. Matt then went into what was clearly Frank’s room, the smell of the man strongest in here. Subtly, Larisa’s scent was mixing in as she had been the one to sleep here for the past few days. She stirred, moving to sit up despite still opening her eyes.

“Larisa?” He asked, careful to make sure his tone was light. “Larisa, do you know who I am?”

“Red, right?” She mumbled, her words slurring together.

“Yeah, I’m Red. Do you want to tell me what happened with Frank today?”

“Too loud. Everything was too loud. And the store smelled funny, I hated it.”

“Has this happened to you before? Feeling like everything was too much?” He questioned.

“Yeah. It always happened when the scientists wanted to do more tests than what I was used to. Joshua was the only one to touch me when it happened.” She answered him, leaning back against the pillows. 

And Matt knew that Amy was right. And if he were a betting man, Joshua and the scientists knew that she was on the spectrum. Matt sighed, wondering how he was going to get Frank to understand this.

“Where’s Frank?” She asked, worried.

“He’s out. But he’ll be back, so don’t worry. Why don’t you go to Amy and see what you two can do? She missed you.”

Larisa gave him a look but did as she was told. As her footsteps went towards the living room, Matt stood up. Looks like he would have to visit Maggie and see if he could get her to help him put some sense into Frank.

Sighing, he had to wonder where his life twisted for this to be a situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for disappearing for the last few months, I just lost creative energy to write more of this fic despite thinking on future scenes I could write into it. Then I got loaded with work from college and couldn't focus my time on writing a fic like this. Then the pandemic happened and after finishing up other projects, I decided to take a crack at this again. Turns out I have the energy to do it again, at least for another few chapters. I will say I won't update within the next few weeks since the end of the semester is coming and I need to keep up with my work since I'm working online due to what my college decided to do back in February. 
> 
> But I will continue to write the next few chapters during that time, so I have a few updates for when the semester is over. Hopefully, this chapter and the edits I did to the first two chapters will tide you over until then.
> 
> I will say that what Frank does to move Larisa back to the safe house isn't recommended for when a meltdown occurs since the person might harm both you and themselves in an attempt to get any sensation that is making them hurt. (Touch is usually the worst when this is happening.) But since Frank had no choice in this situation, he dealt with the consequences to keep her safe. Also, his rejection of the possibility of Larisa being on the spectrum is only to highlight how parents might react when finding out this info for themselves. Often they reject the possibility or think they're child has been stolen from them despite the child always being on the spectrum. I also wanted to highlight how much has changed for the definition of autism within people's lifetime and the attitude towards them as well. I will put an ableist tag up since this is a sensitive topic. Hopefully, I handled it well.
> 
> Anyway, hopefully, it was a fun chapter to read! :D


End file.
